Bacon package and loader for same



Aug. 7, 1962 J. M. LOWE BACON PACKAGE AND LOADER FOR SAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 150, 1959 fL llli IN VENTOR Jbfim 11/. [0W3 ATTORNEYS 1962 J. M. LOWE 3,048,319

BACON PACKAGE AND LOADER FOR SAME Filed Dec! 30, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Jill/M101? yadmq d wmm ATTORNEYS United States Patent ()1 3,048,319 BACON PACKAGE AND LOADER FOR SAME John M. Lowe, Ottumwa, Iowa, assignor to John Morrell & Co., Ottumwa, Iowa, a corporation of Maine Filed Dec. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 862,980 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-20) This invention relates to packages, and more particularly to a board or holder for bacon and like sliced food for insertion in a sleeve-type car-ton.

Sleeve type cartons provide a very convenient and protective type of package for sliced foods, and particularly for those foods which are to be used in small portions over a period of time, as for example bacon, sliced meats and the like.

In order to display the product in such a package, a window is provided, and to show the meat to best advantage the package is very wide with respect to its height. By providing such a package, a large window may be provided for showing to good advantage a small quantity of the product, such as a single pound.

A means for loading the sliced meat in such a package presents a problem, whether the loading is done by hand, automatic machinery or semi-automatic machinery. The inside dimensions of an illustrative sleeve carton for bacon, for example, are 6" x 9 /2 x /2".

A loading board for loading bacon into a sleeve carton was disclosed in a co-pending application Serial Number 845,268. The present invention is directed to certain improvements in the loading board shown in said application, which will be conveniently referred to herein as a I-board.

Consequently, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bacon package having a J-board which when loaded with sliced meat may be easily inserted in a sleeve-type carton having one dimension which is very minor with respect to its other dimensions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a I-board which provides a convenient opening and reclosure means.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a J-board having a means at the consumer access end to prevent the entry of dust when the package is reclosed.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a means which prevents the entry of dust and at the same time provides a means for holding the leading end of the J-board at an advantageous angle to facilitate entry of the leading end in the sleeve carton during machine packaging.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a J-board having side risers tapered at the end opposite to the reclosure end for use in hand loading in a sleeve carton which has one end pre-sealed.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art, from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a sleeve-type, window carton;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a preferred em bodiment of the J-board loading device of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the I-board shown in FIGURE 2 is made;

FIGURE 3a is a plan view of the blank from which a modified form of J-board is made;

FIGURE 4 is an end elevation of the sleeve-type carton shown in FIGURE 1, showing the deflection of the roof of the carton prior to loading;

FIGURE 5 is a partial longitudinal sectional view show- 3,048,319 Patented Aug. 7, 1962 ing the leading end and bacon ends retainer flap of the J-board entering the sleeve carton on the platform of a loading machine;

FIGURE 6 is a View similar to FIGURE 5, but showing the leading end after it has entered the sleeve carton;

FIGURE 7 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing the J-board after its leading end has been pushed through the sleeve carton and therebeyond a distance sufficient to catch the sealer flap on top of the roof of the carton when the J-board is returned within the carton;

FIGURE 8 is a similar view of the reclosure end of the package with sealer flap of the J-board adhered to the roof of the sleeve carton;

FIGURE 9 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing the J-board of the present invention being manually inserted in the reclosure end of a sleeve carton.

Adverting now to the drawing, and more particularly to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, there is shown a sleeve-type carton 10, of paperboard or like material having a floor 11, a roof 12, sides13, 14 and closure end flaps 15, 16, 17 and 18. The roof 12 is provided with a window 19 which may be covered with a transparent material 29, such as cellophane, so that the contents of the carton may be viewed.

A bacon, or food, loading device, or I-board 21, is made from a blank 22 of paperboard or similar suitable material. The J-board 21 has a platform 23. Lateral risers or sides 24, 25 are upstanding from the side edges of the platform 23 when the J-board is erected, as seen in FIGURE 2. A reclosure end 26 is hingedly connected to the platform 23 and is joined to the lateral risers 2 4, 25 by means of the gusset-type dust flaps 27, 28, respectively. A bacon ends retainer flap 29 is hingedly joined to the outer edge of the reclosure end 26.

The ends 24a, 25a of the risers 24, 25 which are remote from the reclosure end 26 are tapered for a purpose soon to be described.

A ready opening sealer flap 30, cut out of the retainer flap 29 is hingedly connected to the edge 31 of the reclosure end 26. The sealer flap 30 is medially scored as at 32 to provide a sealing area 33 and a lifting tab area 34.

As seen in FIGURE 3, the blank 22 from which the J-board 21 is formed ha a platform panel 23', lateral panels 24 and 25' being joined thereto along score lines 35, 36, respectively. A reclosure end panel 26' extends transversely across one end of the platform panel 23 and is joined thereto along the score line 37. A bacon ends retainer panel 29 is joined to the reclosure end panel 26' along the interrupted score line 38. A sealer and opening tab panel 30 is cut out of the retainer panel 29" along the lines of cut 39, 40 and 41, leaving it attached to the reclosure end panel 26 alongthe score line 38a.

The gusset dust flap panels are formed by the outward extensions 35a, 36a, 37a of the fold lines 35, 36 and 37, respectively, to form the gusset panels 27' and 28'. Diagonal fold lines or lines of weakness 42, 43 bisect the panels 27 and 28 to form gussets when the J-board is erected. The riser panels 24' and 25 are provided with inwardly tapered ends 24a and 25a.

In FIGURE 4, loading end view of the sleeve carton 10 is seen in which the sag of the roof and end flap 15 is illustrated. In automatic or semi-automatic machine loading, the carton 10 is held stationary and the I-board 21 is pushed into the carton with the reclosure end leading. The gusseted end flaps 27, 28 cause the reclosure end 26 to assume an outwardly tilted position, as seen in FIGURE 5, and the bacon ends protector flap 29 to assume an upwardly tilted position. This lowers the upper edge of end 26 at the fold line 31, so that it Will be lower than the sagging panel 15, and the panel 29 provides a ramp to slidingly raise the panel 15 as the J- board is advanced into the carton 10. The panel 29 also prevents the ends of the bacon slices from engaging the panel 15.

When the J-board 21 has been further advanced into the carton a distance to fully receive the panel 29, the pressure of the roof 12 on the panel 29 and the sliding movement of the J-board causes erection of the end 26 and closure of the gussets 27, 28, as illustrated in FIG- URE 6.

The I-board 21 is pushed through the carton 10 until the reclosure end 26 protrudes from the end 44 of the carton a distance sufficient to clear the sealer and opener tab 30, as illustrated in FIGURE 7. The panels 15, 16, 17 and 1 8 are then inturned and sealed. When semiautomatic equipment is used for packaging, the tab 30 may be manually lifted and the protruding end of the J-board is pushed back into the carton, as seen in FIG- URE 8, and the contact adhesive coated panel 33 is pressed against the roof 12. To open the package, the consumer grasps the opening tab 34 and pulls upward on it to disengage the panel 33, and then pulls the 1- board out of the package a distance sufficient to remove the desired number of bacon slices. The J-board may then be returned within the package and rescaled.

In FIGURE 30, there is shown a modified blank 45 for a J-board, having dust flaps 46, 47 hingedly attached to the risers 24', 25. The dust flaps are severed from the reclosure end panel 26 by the lines of cut 48, 49, respectively.

By hingedly connecting the dust flaps 46, 47 on the risers 24, 25', they will not catch on the panels 16 and 17, respectively, during insertion of the J-board, and they will assist in erecting the risers 24, 25' when they have passed within the carton 10.

When the J-board is used for manual loading into the sleeve-type carton, it may be inserted in either the end 44 or in the end having the closure panels 15, 16, 17 and 18, as described for machine loading. If, however, it is loaded by inserting the J-board in the end 44 of the carton, the tapered portions 24a and 25a of the risers 24, 25, respectively, will insure ease of insertion of the J-board within the carton 10. The tapered portions 24a and 25a will also assist the consumer, who may pull the I-board entirely from the carton to re-insert it into the carton.

While there has been disclosed in the foregoing description a practical embodiment of the bacon package and loader therefor in accordance with the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations in the implementation of the concept of the invention are within the purview and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

The combination of a paperboard loader positioned in a sleeve type carton to be used for holding sliced material comprising, a sleeve type carton having a roof, a floor, and at least two sides, said sides being of small height compared to said roof whereby said top will bow downwardly in unsupported condition, a main platform panel on the loader having side edges and end edges, lateral riser panels joined to said platform panel along lines of fold at either side edge of said platform panel, said riser panels having tapered portions adjacent a first end edge to facilitate entry of said platform panel into said carton and to help maintain said carton in an upright position, said tapered portions serving as camming means to move said roof upwardly upon insertion of the panel in the carton, a reclosure end panel extending transversely of said platform panel and joined thereto along a line of fold at a second end edge of said platform panel, a protector panel joined to said reclosure end panel along a protector panel fold line spaced outwardly from said line of fold extending along said end edge of said platform and having free edges thereon, a dust fiap panel hingedly connected to each of the ends of the lateral riser panels adjacent the protector panel, said protector panel having an integrally connected folding tab panel therewithin, said tab panel having free edges parallel to and adjacent the free edges of said protector panel and first and second areas on the under side separated by a fold line parallel to the end edges of said platform panel, said first area being remote from said protector panel fold line, said second area having adhesive thereon to adhere to the roof of said carton, the construction and arrangement being such that said first area forms a freely grabbable portion and said second area releasably holds said platform panel Within said carton until pulled away by an opening force directed on said first area of the tab.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 430,045 Soper June 10, 1890 662,560 Floyd Nov. 27, 1900 738,633 Scott Sept. 8, 1903 1,234,483 Luke July 24, 1917 1,790,370 Earman Jan. 27, 1931 1,862,829 Roempler June 14, 1932 2,689,643 Willits Sept. 21, 1954 

